Thursday, October 25, 2018

How to Use the Windows 10 Calculator

The built-in Windows calculator has come a long way since first being introduced with Windows 1.0 in 1985. It includes different modes, date calculations, and some handy everyday conversions functions. Here’s how you can get the most out of the often overlooked calculator app.

Switching Between Calculator Modes

As you’ll see below, the Calculator does a lot more than add, subtract, multiply, and divide. You can choose from four modes, depending on your needs.

To switch between modes, click the menu button at the top left and then select a mode from the options below.

Here’s what those different modes do.

Standard Mode

The Standard mode is useful for basic math operations like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, as well as for finding square roots, calculating percentages, and working with fractions. This is probably the mode that most people will feel comfortable with most of the time.

Scientific Mode

Scientific mode expands on the Standard mode, giving you the additional functions you’d find on a typical scientific calculator. In addition to the Standard mode operators, it contains functions like log, modulo, exponent, trigonometric degrees, and SIN, COS, and TAN.